Police have beefed up security along the Juba-Nimule road following a deadly ambush that left at least three people killed and several others injured on Tuesday, a traffic police officer said.
A passenger bus was travelling from Juba to Nimule on Tuesday morning when it came under attack by unidentified armed assailants at around 11 am.
Traffic Police Director in Nimule Town, Maj. Gen. Juma George told Radio Tamazuj that vehicles are now plying the highway freely after the authorities set up a patrol on the road.
“I want to inform our citizens that our forces are all on the road, so anybody who wants to travel to Kampala, Nimule this road is now safe, and nothing is wrong on the road, people should not fear again,” George said.
Wodcan Saviour Lazarus, the Executive Director for Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO), strongly condemned the attack, calling on the government to investigate the incident.
“Deploying the security alone is not enough. We need the government also to apprehend some of these culprits such that we know during the investigations what is their main problem and why they are carrying out attacks on people.
The civil society activist called on the government to prioritize security in the country.
The Juba-Nimule highway is a lifeline for South Sudan, which imports almost everything from neighbouring countries.